The decline of British pubs

Bob Fleming

Striker
Often lamented on here but the ONS have published some interesting data if you like this sort of thing.

Economies of ale: small pubs close as chains focus on big bars - Office for National Statistics

A look at Sunderland (you can check your own area) shows we have a slightly lower number of pubs than average per population. And there are 50 fewer pubs than in 2001 and few people working in the industry.
So might use that to those toss pots claiming we have too many pubs when someone tries to open a new business.
 


In your local authority, South Tyneside, there are around 6.7 pubs per 10,000 people. This is higher than the UK average of 5.8 pubs.

There are now around 25 fewer pubs in South Tyneside than in 2001.

In South Tyneside there are around 900 jobs in pubs and bars. This is 28.0% lower than in 2001.
 
I don't go out anywhere as often as I used to (2 young kids). I was down Durham, Friday night, cost a fecking fortune. Pissed up the wall
 
Often lamented on here but the ONS have published some interesting data if you like this sort of thing.

Economies of ale: small pubs close as chains focus on big bars - Office for National Statistics

A look at Sunderland (you can check your own area) shows we have a slightly lower number of pubs than average per population. And there are 50 fewer pubs than in 2001 and few people working in the industry.
So might use that to those toss pots claiming we have too many pubs when someone tries to open a new business.

There’s a possibility that we have fewer pubs per head because average incomes in Sunderland aren’t high. People on lower incomes are drinking cans in the house.
 
Wages have been fairly stagnant for around a decade personally. In real terms a massive cut.
Inflation pushes pretty much everything else up, including boozing out.
Added to which in the last 10 years we're deeper into adulthood, we've taken on a bigger house and have more mouths to feed.

Cans are cheaper than they were when I started boozing mind.
 
Blame supermarkets using beer as a loss leader.
Beer is more expensive than it used to be because the ABV has gone up on a lot of beers.
There's also so much more choice now. Pubs who used to survive on 1 or 2 lagers a beer, stout and cider are disappearing. Purely because they're not offering anything new

I've seen some old pubs which probably haven't offered anything new in years close, but I've also seen new bars/pubs open which offer new things, from new breweries.
Yes some can be more expensive than other beers etc but they're offering something you might not get in the supermarket, and it'll taste right and it'll be in a nice environment.

There’s a possibility that we have fewer pubs per head because average incomes in Sunderland aren’t high. People on lower incomes are drinking cans in the house.

Precisely.
 
Paid 5 pund a pint in one of the locals Saturday night no wonder people don't go out

See, if that was a pint of something you'll not see very often, was a short run, and had a high abv, I could get it.
If you spend £5 on "premium lager" you're right.

The demise is actually a national tragedy.

Is it though? I'm happy some shite pubs have gone and have been replaced by actual nice pubs/bars with people who care about what they're serving
 
So, in Cambridge, there are 7.2 pubs per 10000 people. The number is 90 compared to 115 in 2001 but that's bottomed out and has risen a bit. Actually, more jobs in pubs now than there were in 2001. I suspect the latter is down to an increase in bigger city centre pubs.
 
Aka clerbs

Community pubs will have some of the same challenges mind, competent volunteers and the risk of fiddling
Slightly different as clubs are normally tied in some way to a brewery etc.

Also it is different as it requires financial investment from the community to get of the ground so people have a vested interest to make it work as you wouldnt want to waste your money. Not quite the same as your annual £2 membership

Agree on the fiddling though
 
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Wages have been fairly stagnant for around a decade personally. In real terms a massive cut.
Inflation pushes pretty much everything else up, including boozing out.
Added to which in the last 10 years we're deeper into adulthood, we've taken on a bigger house and have more mouths to feed.

Cans are cheaper than they were when I started boozing mind.

Since 97 actually, wage growth halved. Wonder why? Last time Wage growth halved was late 70s when Thatcher got in. Been pretty stagnant since 70s though.

My first salary was 14k in 1997 as a non graduate. Not much different to starting salaries now, must be same, maybe 15k?
 
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